Well first, let's define both of those things. I believe a Skill is usually something that you can learn from a special school, a teacher, a mentor, or nowadays even an online program, ie; electrician, carpentry, painting, plumbing, mechanics, landscaping, cooking, and doing hair, even teaching is considered a trade skill. And don't forget about the skills that you can learn but all you need is your own body, like gymnastics, track, sign language, and singing.
However many skills may also be natural talent. A talent in my opinion is mostly natural and it can be groomed. Talent is usually thought of as a thing that you just picked up on and did well with practicing over time. Even a hobby, like playing the drums, dancing, whistling, or drawing. People also call them natural gifts. But a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Or would it?
These skills and talents are quite interchangeable, depending on who has them. I mean just about anything can be learned, sometimes online, for free! There are still levels. Once upon a time, the only way to learn certain skills or talents was by having a mentor that took you under their wing as an apprentice or you became their protege. And yes you had to pay for them to teach you in one way or another. Same as today, right?
Being taught something like dance, painting or music was extremely expensive and considered a special skill. Rare for the average person to learn. In certain countries and eras, those were the things of luxury and were only offered to the upper class who could afford the finer things in life. Back in the day and still, the wealthy would hire talented artists and music instructors to teach their children how to do whatever it is that would make them appear to be, "talented". This especially applies to sports today.
If you were taught any trade skills, you should know that it was not by accident. And only in very rare occasions did some poor, but lucky individual who was less fortunate than most get offered an opportunity to learn a special skill trade.
This is why in most cases a Skill is more respected than pure Talent. It's almost unfair because although natural talent is free, and highly revered by many, it dwells somewhere in the god space. Yet skills can be bought and sold, but they sit right there on the throne with the creator.
I mean let's be real, everybody is not good at everything! And almost anyone can be taught how to do something if they have the time and the financial means. Can we really talk about natural talent for a minute? Specifically the art of dance. We can all admit that in today's world knowing how to dance is a common thing, right? However, we must also admit that some people take dancing to a whole different level.
And it doesn't start or stop with dancing. Oooh, no baby. There are millions of gifted people out there that are natural at their God-given talent... I know a few. People who sing, play instruments by ear, create delicious meals, design clothing, paint works of art, and on and so forth.
Don't misunderstand, when I say natural, I'm talking about 100 percent pure essence, drive, and ability, self-taught, no training, no mentorship program. Just an amazing creative who has honed in on their "skillset" and was able to do the damn thang! I love those types of people. When I get a chance to meet one of them, I don't hesitate to tell them, you are not gifted, YOU Are The Gift!
Sure, maybe later down the line after making hopefully a fair share of coin from being exploited around the world. A person might want to get some professional lessons to improve upon their gift. But keep in mind that those who have true talent always had it in there somewhere. They simply needed that spark of awesomeness to meet an opportunity. You know what happens when talent or skill meets opportunity, don't you? It works its way up to that god space.
Think about the people that we see on center stage on their high platforms. Did they begin there? Heck no! I'm saying that they had to do something to get there, right? The question is what did they do? Where were their humble beginnings? When and where did that natural talent or a skillset take root? And does it even matter if it was natural or taught? What's the difference?
I personally like to believe that naturally everything is better, but can always be improved upon. With that said, I have always appreciated being a self-made person. I feel like they did more to reach those heights where the oxygen is very thin, yet they dare to exhale, and keep on taking as much as they can all in. It seems that they work harder to make things happen. It was never in the cards for them, but it was in the stars.
I'm talking about the folks who had a hard foundation and a firm grasp of a shitty reality, along with plenty of hard knocks. Sometimes those people have no choice, but to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to become a better version, or... they would die. I'm just say'n, it's not as easy as it looks!
I have to admit, sometimes I find it difficult to respect those who have been handed everything on a silver platter! I mean, of course, it's going to be easier for anyone who was given an inherited opportunity, a bank account full of money, a position through nepotism, and all the time in the world to make something of themselves. That's called the hookup, Duh! Everybody ain't got it like that. But I digress.
I leave you with only three questions... (Please Explain Your Answers)
Which is better Natural Talent or A Skillset?
Who do you think is or was successful based purely on their Natural Talent?
Who do you think in today's entertainment field wouldn't be any good if it weren't for their Trained Skills?
Comments